Boeing’s MQ-25A T1 prototype is on display aboard the USS Nimitz during its voyage to New York Harbor to participate in International Naval Review 250 ― part of America’s 250th anniversary celebration ― on the Fourth of July.
Why it matters: The Boeing-owned MQ-25A T1 prototype served as the demonstrator for the U.S. Navy’s MQ-25A Stingray™ program, and the display highlights the Stingray as a critical part of the Navy’s carrier air wing of the future.
Catch up quick: First flown in 2019, T1 completed 36 test flights and became the first unmanned aircraft in history to refuel another aircraft.
The big picture: The MQ-25A Stingray is the Navy’s first operational carrier-based unmanned aircraft and is designed to extend the range of the carrier air wing through autonomous aerial refueling.
- The first operational U.S. Navy MQ-25A Stingray completed its first test flight in April and continues flight testing at Boeing’s facility near MidAmerica St. Louis Airport in Mascoutah, Illinois.
By Jarrett Heckert